The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-06
Passenger Train Thrown from the Track
and off Bridge by Broken Rail.
Two Passenger Coaches and Two Sleeping-Cars
Crowded with Slumbering People Plunged
into Gorge Fifty Feet in Depth.
The Wrecked Carsat Once Take Fire and
q Scene of Awful Horror Ensues.
Number of Killed Not Accurately Known, but
Estimated at from Forty to Sixty-Iist OF
Dead and Injured SO far as Identified.

CONCORD, N. H., Feb. 5.-The express train
that left Boston at o'clock last night met with
a terrible accident near Woodstock on the Gen.
trail Vermont railroad, at about 2:30 o'clock this
morning. The train started from this city on
time, but was detained at White-river Junction,
20 it was about an hour and half late when it
left there. 1t consisted of locomotive baggage
car. postal car, two passenger coaches and two
Bleeping cars and was running at the usual rate
of speed. When about two hundred yards south
Of the end of the deck bridge near the old
Windsor station, broken rail was struck. The
locomotive, baggage car and postal car broke
away from the rest of the train. passing over the
bridge in safety The rest of the train was
thrown from the rails and continued on the
road bed until it came near the end of the
bridge. but there it ran over the abutment, and
al Of the cars fell into tho White river, some
fifty feet below. The gorge at this point is
frightful, and when the cars went down there
detached part of the train was stopped and ran
back to the scene of the disaster. The screams
Of the injured were heartrending. Assistance
also came from the people living in the vicinity,
and everything was done to rescue all and relieve
the injured Soon after help arrived it was dis
covered that fire had started in the first passen-
ger coach, and soon the entire train was ablaze,
thus adding a new horror to the already fright
full catastrophe. Those present were powerless
70 attempting to rescue those imprisoned in the
wreck.
The rescuers met another and an unexpected
obstacle in the heat, which had become so in
tense that they were obliged to relinqush their
efforts to save the sufferers, and were compelled
to retreat to place OF safety for themselves,
and to become unwilling and horror-strcken
witnesses of the awful holocaust. In addition
to this, and to add to the terrors and sufferngs
Of the passengers, the weather was intensely
cold, and the heroic rescuers were hindered
thereby in their work. No water could be OBJ
tanned with which to check or extinguish the
flames. The ice was several inches thick on the
river, and there were no appliances at hand to
raise it.
Ira Chase, Of Bristol, was at White River
junction when the news of the disaster was re-
ceived. He went to the wreck on a
special train. His story of the acct
White River junction late. and the accident is
thought to have occurred at about 2:15 A. NJ A
broken rail was .dicovered some two hundred
feet this side of the bridge, but whether this
caused the accident or wheel first broke is in
doubt. The locomotive, and baggage, and mail
cars crossed the bridge in safety. Two pas
Benger coaches, the Boston sleeping car ssPil
grim" and the Springfield sleeper ''St Adams,
went off the bridge at the end, on the right
hand side and apparently turned bottom side
up Men living near by stated that when they
got to the scene there was no fire. except in the
spread to the other and then to the bridge
All were consumed Twenty-six persons, SO ia,
as known, were taken out alive from the cars
which were burned. Two of these are under
stood to be Mr.. Wesson. pistol manufacturer o.
Springfield, and Ed Brockelbanks, brakeman
but they died soon after. The TWO passenge
the Boston sleeping car was occupied and twev,
in the one from Springfield, making the tota
humber of passengers in the wrecked car
about eighty. This will probably make thu
number of dead between fifty and sixty.
The bridge was between thirty and forty fee
above the water, which was covered with thici
ice making it probable that death resulted from
crushing and burning rather than from drown
ing. Several were penned up in the wreck, VIII,
might have been rescued alive but for the flames
Brakeman Parker, who was on the forward enc
of the first passenger car, folt the jar and saved
his life by jumping He quickly secured con
yeyance and carried the news to White Rive
Junction. An occupant of the Boston sleeper
whose name could not be ascertained, passed
through here this afternoon. He said the ca
was full, every berth being occupied. The trail
was late out OF White River Junction, and whe,
it left it had the sleeper from Springfield be
sides passenger car. He thinks it must hav
been about 2:i0 o'clock in the morning when h
was awakened by the quivering of the car as i
1t was off the rails. This movement lie no
ticed but a short time, when
became conscious that the coacl
had gone over the abutment on the bridge an
was sinking with frightful rapidity. To add t.
his CONSERVATION the turned upside down
and when it struck the ice in the river the tot
crushed 10. he occupied lower berth, and b.
almost superhuman efforts succeeded in extri
eating himself from the wreck He was wei
acquainted with the occupant of the uppe
bertha Boston genfleman-and as quickly a